Dustin's Blog — Freshwater Planted Aquarium

Read Time: 6 mins Welcome back to part three of our Aquarium Science Series! This is a big one for planted tank enthusiasts: what nutrients do aquarium plants need and why? There are a whopping 17 essential nutrients for plant growth, but we'll make it easy. Be on the lookout for a second half to this where we'll show you how and when to fertilize and supplement with these nutrients (and also the amazing way nutrients flow through plants). Some Clarified Definitions Nutrients- in botany, these are chemicals that helps a plant live, grow, and reproduce. Feel like this term...

Read Time: 5 mins Looking for info on easy aquarium plants with a ton of variety for any part of your tank? You've come to the right place. Here, we'll break down the Echinodorous genus of plants, highlight some epic sword species, and give you tips and tricks for keeping your swords looking sharp. (Scroll to the bottom for a quick reference guide for how to care for Amazon swords!) About Amazon Swords They're called "Amazon" swords because of how prevalent they are in the Amazonian regions of South America, but these plants are native throughout the Western hemisphere. How they...

Guide to Cryptocoryne Aquarium Plants Read Time: 4.5 minutes Tales from the Crypts: History of Cryptocoryne These are some of the coolest, hardiest aquarium plants alive. The name "Cryptocoryne" is Greek, from 'crypto' (hidden) and koryne (club). They're also called water trumpets because of the shape of their stems' flower clusters (inflorescence).  Cryptocoryne plants (or just "crypts") were first described as a species in 1779, then as a genus in 1828 by botanists Anders Jahan Retzius and Friedrich Ernst Ludwig von Fischer respectively. So they've been in the hobby a while. Expeditions to find new crypt and other aquatic plant species are still...

Read Time: 5 mins “Can I have a planted tank without special lights, fertilizers, or a CO2 system?” This is a question everyone in the freshwater aquarium hobby has asked at some point, and we have good news: the answer is a resounding yes. If you want beautiful aquatic plants without feeling like you have to sell a kidney to afford tech to keep them alive, we've got you.   This is the first of a two part series on which aquarium plants are right for you based on how much maintenance they need. In this post, we'll list out some...